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KINGMAN, Ariz. Aug 19, 2006 (AP) A man angry at firefighters who refused to rescue a cat from a tree was arrested after he started shooting at the fire crew, officials said.

Jeffrey Cullen, 58, was charged with four felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Mohave County Sheriff's spokeswoman Trish Carter said.

A three-person fire crew went to Cullen's home Thursday when he reported a tree fire, but found no blaze, Hualapai Valley Fire Department spokeswoman Sandy Edwards said.

Instead, Cullen told firefighters he wanted a cat rescued from his tree and knew they would only respond to a fire call, Edwards said. A battalion chief told Cullen to call animal control or wait for the cat to get hungry and come down.

Cullen apparently didn't like the response, Edwards said.

"He went back into the house, got a small black revolver and came outside shooting," she said.

The firefighters and a 12-year-old boy who had come to see the fire truck ran for their lives, Edwards said. No one was injured.

this incident happened where I live. I work for a near by department and know the guys this happened to. This was just in last Sundays news paper.

KINGMAN - A Kingman resident and Vietnam veteran who allegedly shot at Hualapai Valley firefighters after they wouldn't help get a cat out of a tree was sentenced to 150 days in jail as part of a five-year probation sentence Friday.

Mohave County Judge Robert R. Moon sentenced Jeffrey Francis Cullen, 59, to intensive probation in connection with the Aug. 17 incident at Cullen's residence at the 3600 block of John L. Ave.

Cullen has to report to the Mohave County Jail by May 9 to serve his sentence. He received three days credit for time already served. He is also eligible for work release and the possibility of serving his last 60 days on house arrest with electronic monitoring.

Moon attributed his decision to the age of Cullen, his military service and Cullen's minimal criminal history.

Cullen was facing four counts of aggravated assault and one count of disorderly conduct involving weapons.

As part of the Alford plea agreement, Cullen was found guilty on the four aggravated assault charges as non-dangerous offenses, and the disorderly conduct involving weapons charge was dismissed. Cullen faced a presumptive sentence of three years and six months on each count, which would have been served concurrently, according to the agreement.

"The state's position that if it's the first time or the 20th time, prison is appropriate," Lee Jantzen said before sentencing.

According to court documents, the firefighters called the Mohave County Sheriff's Office stating Cullen was shooting at them at around 3:50 p.m. on Aug. 17. MCSO arrested Cullen after two hours of negotiations to get him to leave the house and a brief struggle outside the residence.

MCSO interviewed the firefighters following the incident. The firefighters all said they were called to Cullen's residence to put out a reported tree fire.

When they arrived at the scene, there was no tree fire and Cullen asked them to get a cat out of a tree. They told Cullen that they wouldn't get the cat and Cullen went inside his residence and came back out with a black revolver.

The firefighters said they fled from the residence, taking along a 12-year-old boy who was at the scene looking at their truck, and heard two shots being fired.

"Firemen, they shouldn't have to be subject to that," Moon said before sentencing.

When MCSO interviewed Cullen, he admitted that he had been drinking earlier.

"My main thing is going to stay off of alcohol," Cullen said to the judge prior to sentencing.

Originally posted by XxMerlinxX Do firefighters not get cats out of trees anymore?

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Correct, we DO NOT. It is a remarkably dangerous thing to do. When I've talked with the "old timers" in my department, they would tell stories that are funny now about cat "rescues". They would wear full protective gear, including goggles, helmet, heavy gloves, and especially heavy coat with sleeves to protect your arms. Climb up a ladder and try to get a hold of a freaked out cat that once you do get it turns into a furry ball of fury with claws and teeth everywhere. More than half the time, they would get the cat down and it would instantly run up the next tree.

When I first joined over 10 years ago, I helped with a "cat rescue" (which we were doing because it was for someone's relative), and it happened just like I described above!

Here's my opinion, which is shared by quite a few of the other officers: We're here to serve the public. If that means putting out a fire, great. If that means getting a cat out of a tree... not so great, but still do-able. Now I wouldn't have done it after the false call because that would encourage such behavior, but if I got a call from an old lady and that cat is all she has, I would. Either that or we run a heart attack later that day from her worrying. Best way I heard is to go up to a few feet below, and hit it with the water can. It'll land on its feet fine (or run higher up the tree), in which case you're no worse than when you started.

I'd say it depends on the circumstances. I know of twice that we've done it in the 17 years that I've been running. Both were pretty easy rescues, not really anything that created a life-safety issue. Would the cats have gotten out themselves eventually? Sure. Was it good local PR? Yuppers.

Aggravated assault?? With a 12 y/o present and in the potential line of fire?? 150 days?? Has that Prosecutor not heard of attempted murder?? He tries to brush it off because he drank alcohol earlier, thats even more reason to hang him.

Thats ridiculous, bastard should go to prison for a few years and think about his screw up.

And no we don't do cat rescues from trees either unless maybe as someone said earlier "It's Grandma without anything else in the world".

Had it been 3 cops shot at, this would have been handled differently. I fail to see the difference, but maybe an LEO could enlighten me on this issue. Cop or firefighter, if you shoot at them you deserve more than 5 months in jail, if you kill one, you should be put to death.

My point isn't to start trouble but to express that cops and firefighters should BOTH be EQUALLY protected by laws, and the sentencing for the criminals should be the same.

since I absolutely despise cats, I would be more than happy to use my glocks to help any of my neighbors get a cat from a tree, or their yard from that matter. It drives me nuts to see cat footprints on my black truck!

We will go out & "see what we can do" just for PR terms. Most of the time we don't do anything but talk to the owner.......although I have blew one off the top of a power pole with a booster set on 60 gpm ....about a 30 foot drop & they do land on their feet

It was way down in the low 20's that afternoon right before dark, if he didn't die from the shock of the fall, he might have froze to death from being wet, all the owner wanted was him off the top of the pole so we got him off......they swan dive pretty good while being wet.

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